EUROCLIO call for joining special interest groups in inclusive education

Have you ever thought about making history and citizenship education more inclusive and contributing to this process?

With this letter, we are encouraging you to apply to join the special interest groups of a new EUROCLIO project called “Strategies for Inclusion – Making high quality history and citizenship education more inclusive and accessible”. More information below!

|What is the project about?|

The mentioned project is the first EUROCLIO project dealing with the challenge: “How to make history and citizenship education more inclusive”?

The project has already started and will continue till 1 September 2018. The project is led by EUROCLIO in partnership with organizations from Armenia, Czech Republic, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, and the Netherlands. The goal of the project is to make high quality history and citizenship education more inclusive and accessible for learners, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.

|What do we mean by making history and citizenship education more inclusive?|

Within the context of this project we understand inclusive education as removing barriers to learning and will focus specifically on removing barriers to learninghigh-quality history and citizenship education (as outlined in the EUROCLIO Manifesto and Recommendations of the Council of Europe). We expect to remove barriers related to language (for example by enriching vocabulary, concentrating on developing concepts), perspective taking (for example by teaching students to take other perspectives seriously, and developing a respect for difference), motivation (for example by constructing ties between past-present-future) and imagining a past that is no longer there (for example by looking at lives of ordinary people). The special interest groups will work collaboratively on the development of teaching strategies and learning activities and other resources that educators can use to remove these barriers, based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning. In addition, the special interest groups will provide input for policy recommendations to address those issues that stand in the way of high-quality history and citizenship education but are outside of the control of those educators who are directly working with learners.

|What are special interest groups?|

In the project two special interest groups are formed, focusing on:

blind and partially sighted

·“Blind and partially sighted and deaf and hard-of-hearing”

· “Learner variability and motivation"

Candidates can apply for one of the special interest groups. We are looking for 4 team members for each special interest group. They will join those team members who have already been identified in an earlier stage of the development of this project proposal. In total, each of the special interest groups will consist of 10 to 12 members.

|What kind of candidates are we looking for?|

Members of the special interest groups should be intrinsically motivated

·To join an effort that addresses the challenge of inclusion in history and citizenship education.

·To co-author educational resources specifically designed to make history and citizenship more inclusive and suited to all learners.

·To have working level of English.

Preferences will be given to textbook authors, researchers, and history and citizenship educators at primary and secondary education levels.

To apply, please send your CV, Letter of Motivation, Letter of Support from your school, institute or association toaysel@euroclio.eu before 15 February 2016. Please, indicate in your letter of motivation which special interest group you are applying for. The candidates will be contacted about the results of the selection within one month after the receipt of the applications.